Pre-sessional working group

Fifty-eighth session

21-25 October 2013

Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

Report of the pre-sessional working group

1.It is the practice of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to convene a pre-sessional working group for five days to prepare lists of issues and questions relating to the initial and periodic reports that will be considered by the Committee at one of its future sessions.

2.The Committee decided that the pre-sessional working group for the fifty-eighth session of the Committee would meet from 21 to 25 October 2013, immediately after the fifty-sixth session, in order to ensure that sufficient time would be available to States parties to submit their written replies to the lists of issues and questions, as well as to ensure their timely translation.

3.The following experts were designated as members of the pre-sessional working group:

Ms. Noor Al-Jehani

Ms. Nicole Ameline

Ms. Barbara Bailey

Ms. Náela Gabr

Ms. Violeta Neubauer

4.The pre-sessional working group elected Ms. Ameline as its Chair.

5.The pre-sessional working group prepared lists of issues and questions with regard to the reports of the Central African Republic, Georgia, India, Lithuania, Mauritania, Peru, Swaziland and the Syrian Arab Republic. In that regard, the pre‑sessional working group was guided by Committee decision 49/IX, according to which the Committee decided to limit the lists of issues and questions to 20  questions. In practice and exceptionally, some lists of issues and questions contain a maximum of 22 questions.

6.To assist in the preparation of the lists of issues and questions, the pre‑sessional working group had before it the reports of the States parties listed above, as well as the core documents of most of those States parties; the general recommendations adopted by the Committee; background information and draft lists of issues and questions prepared by the secretariat, based on an analytical comparison of current reports of States parties and the discussion of the Committee on earlier reports; and other pertinent information, including concluding observations of the Committee and other treaty bodies, if relevant. In preparing the lists of issues and questions for periodic reports, the pre-sessional working group paid particular attention to the States parties’ follow-up to the concluding observations of the Committee on its previous reports.

7.The pre-sessional working group benefited from written and oral information submitted by entities and specialized agencies of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations.

8.The lists of issues and questions adopted by the pre-sessional working group were transmitted to the States parties concerned and are contained in the following documents:

(a)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined initial and second to fifth periodic reports of the Central African Republic (CEDAW/C/CAF/Q/1-5);

(b)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Georgia (CEDAW/C/GEO/Q/4-5);

(c)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of India (CEDAW/C/IND/Q/4-5);

(d)List of issues and questions in relation to the fifth periodic report of Lithuania (CEDAW/C/LTU/Q/5);

(e)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined second and third periodic reports of Mauritania (CEDAW/C/MRT/Q/2-3);

(f)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined seventh and eighth periodic reports of Peru (CEDAW/C/PER/Q/7-8);

(g)List of issues and questions in relation to the combined initial and second periodic reports of Swaziland (CEDAW/C/SWZ/Q/1-2);

(h)List of issues and questions in relation to the second periodic report of the Syrian Arab Republic (CEDAW/C/SYR/Q/2).

9.In accordance with Committee decisions 22/IV, 25/II and 31/III, the lists of issues and questions focused on themes addressed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. These themes included the constitutional and legislative framework; women, peace and security, where applicable; national machinery for the advancement of women; stereotypes and harmful practices; violence against women, including domestic violence; trafficking in women and exploitation of prostitution; participation of women in decision-making; education and training; employment; health; social and economic benefits; rural women; the situation of disadvantaged groups of women, such as older women, women with disabilities, women belonging to ethnic minorities, and refugee and migrant women; equality before the law; and marriage and family relations.